One of the first descriptions of this area was written for Appleton as a whole and is found in the Doomsday Book. “Epletune”, it says, “was and is waste” and has, “ …. a wood there half a league long and forty perches broad”. In modern terms that would be approximately one and a half miles long by two hundred yards wide and could be the Dingle, although with such a scant description this cannot be certain.

One of the first known references to the ownership of the Lumb Brook Valley itself comes in an Ancient Charter (c.1190). At this time the land owned by Richard de Aston was handed to Adam de Dutton in reward for his homage and service at a rent of 12d (5p) per year.

From this period until the mid 18th century the lands in Appleton, including the Lumb Brook Valley, were in the possession of the descendants of de Dutton, who sometime between 1307 and 1322 adopted the name Warburton.

By the 1840s the Lumb Brook Valley and its environs were in the ownership of three landowners Rowland Eyles Egerton-Warburton, Thomas Lyon and Thomas Parr.

The bawming ceremony of Appleton Thorn

Appleton Thorn village is the only village in England where the ‘Bawming of the Thorn’ ceremony takes place in June each year. The thorn tree which stands beside the church is believed to be an offshoot of the Glastonbury thorn which grew from the staff of Joseph of Arimathea. It was brought to Appleton by Adam de Dutton, a knight of the Crusades and local landowner. Bawming, which means decorating the tree with flowers and ribbons, takes place each year whilst local children dance and sing the Bawming song:

“Up with fresh garlands, this midsummer morn,
Up with the red ribbons on Appleton Thorn.
Come lasses and lads to the Thorn Tree today,
To bawm it and shout as ye bawm it ‘hooray’!”

There has been woodland within Lumb Brook for at least one thousand years; therefore steps must be taken to ensure the woodland survives for the benefit of future generations. To this end the management of the woodland must be constantly updated taking into account all aspects of woodland life.